2358

I am disappointed that BA sells First as a premium experience and yet my experience has been that just when the bus is full, they tell everyone to move up, so you are then coughed on, hit in the face with an out of control backpack, have a child throw up over you just prior to a 10 hour flight, etc etc. If I had paid 1.99 for a Ryanair flight my expectations would be low, but not when First is sold as ....

"Indulge in the most exceptional comforts from luxurious fine dining to your own private suite. With access to our elegant departure lounges and exclusive service as standard, First truly is the finest way to fly"

And whether paid for with Avios on money shouldn't really make a difference. Many in First are there for a special occasion, and the whole bus transfer really lets down that aspect of the flight.

One reason why I am more inclined to take the A380 (far from my favourite plane) as they don't seem to use buses, given the greater number of passengers.

c1223

For the sake of 1 or 2 long haul flights that depart from A10 I don�t think BA can be accused of misleading advertising. Sure it�s not very premium but, as discussed previously on FT, BA F is more like Business+. They�re not trying to compete with the opulent F of SQ, EK, QR etc�

On that note, I would call AA F closer to soup class. Basically the same as J save for FFD in a few places and a soup course.

As usual people like to complain about everything. There�s something about frequent fliers that introduces a sense of entitlement. Sure you�re paying for a service but as a frequent flier you know damn well what you�re going to get. If anything, you/we should know better. Spend your cash elsewhere if the occasional bus gate to an F flight troubles you that much. And remember, there�s always someone more important to the airline than you.

muscat

It’s a bit off having to walk from the drop off to First check-in. Could BA not provide these?

T8191

Well done, Chania!

corporate-wage-slave

Certainly you appear to have had a particularly poor set of experiences that I've largely avoided. But that is another advantage of waiting for the last bus, since it's just a more calm experience. You can see during the boarding process how many buses are being deployed from the way they are lined up, and once you see less than 50 (and usually <20) people left in the gate area then that's the time to board.

PUCCI GALORE

That, my Dear, crossed my mind as well.Still I think that we are being a little fatalistic you and I. One could equally fail to fill the tank of diesel,m and I for one, have never heard of buses conking out with a planeload of passengers aboard.

subject2load

Without wishing to drift OT from the core topic of bus transfers, I wonder at what point during the overall process of moving through London’s Heathrow (or indeed any major international airport) could one possibly feel a sense of detachment from humanity ??

- Arriving at the noisy bustling terminal itself ……… ?
- Moving through a security queue where you’re required to follow a set of very specific instructions (and possibly be scolded by a member of staff who believes you may not have complied to their total satisfaction) …….. ?
- Sat in the ‘tranquil haven of a premium lounge’ whilst assailed by loud conversations of selfish folk bellowing into mobile phones …….. ?
- More walking through the crowded concourse to reach a departure gate in the (quite often forlorn) hope of boarding your aircraft without undue delay or mood of organised chaos …….. ?

Not all (and with luck, none) of the above will prove tiresome every time you travel by air. But let’s face it, they’re experienced by many of us …… as is clear from the consistent regularity with which they appear here on FT and on sundry similar forums and blogs.

You certainly don’t need the added joy of a transfer from gate to aircraft via a grotty old BA bus (not least when packed shoulder-to-shoulder on a hot day) to remind you that you’re anything other than ‘human after all’ !

muscat

Easy - walk the passage from T5 rather than taking the �train�. Quite often you won�t see anyone else.

2358

yes, keep telling myself my next journey should be better, but they seem to be getting worse. I am going to have to try your strategy of waiting for the last bus!

Oxon Flyer

Let me have another go : the thread topic is whether getting a LHR bus-gate BA-flight bus to yourself would transform the OPs journey into an F-worthy experience. Being on a nice bus with 8-14 others instead of 50 is of course preferable, but that's an irrelevant sideshow in this particular thread.

Tiger_lily

No neither have I. As long as someone has the job on ensuring they are plugged in. Leaving it to someone who may be driving an EV one day and a diesel the next, might cause a bit of confusion. Equally rocking up to a diesel pump in an EV and looking for the filler cap could be equally as entertaining

KARFA

is it? I thought I responded to your question.

note I said the same bus this time after you suggested my previous reply relating to QR F buses was off topic.

PLeblond

I used to have status and then reduced my flying considerable and lost it. Since then I'm a free agent chosing whatever airline offers the best value/experience and fly almost excluivly in premium cabins.

Finland Station

There can hardly be any dispute that the BA coaching operation is a sub-optimal experience. It reminds me of a stock joke. How many people can you get on a BA bus? Answer: Another 2 more.

There is no solution in sight. Coaching operations will remain a feature of the BA experience at LHR. Too many flights, too few gates. Call it home airport disadvantage. The same thing happens with A3 at ATH, LH at FRA etc.

There are mitigations that can be introduced. A3, for example, have a rigorously enforced J only bus from the aircraft to the terminal. Getting to the aircraft, however, is the same experience as with BA.

I have noticed buses with Club decals/markings on them, but I have never been treated to any sort of segregated experience. I cannot recall there ever being an initiative to treat Club/First pax differently when coaching. It's always been a free-for-all.

My few strategies to make it more bearable. Get to the coaching gate reasonably promptly. If the bus I am offered is already full, I'll politely decline the invitation to wedge myself in, in favour of taking the next bus (assuming that there is another) on which I will take a seat (and try to think happy thoughts).

ThatT1Feeling

I got a held connection on AY out of HEL a couple of weeks ago when my inbound was running late.

Turned out I was connecting through a bus gate and when I got to the gate, there was a full-sized Cobus just for me. Luxury!

Bizarrely and rather wonderfully, there was also space above Row 1 for my bag, even though I was very much the last person to board.